Our History
The charity was founded with money raised through an appeal to the generous people of South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and was firstly known as Weston Park Day Care Unit. It was the vision of a Physicist, Professor Harold Miller, and a Consultant, Dr Frank Neal, both treating patients at Weston Park Hospital.
Patients at this time had severe skin reactions due to radiotherapy treatment. These side-effects were in need of monitoring, but patients did not necessarily need to be seen by their doctors. When Professor Miller died in 1996 the name of the service was changed to The Harold Miller Day Care Unit in acknowledgement of what his understanding of the needs of patients had meant to so many.
The original plan for the service was for patients to have a homely environment to go to which would relieve their feelings of isolation, allow them to receive help with dressings and have a chance to talk to nursing professionals who would listen to their worries and concerns and advise them. Over the years we have supported many patients who have been diagnosed with cancer – whether they have had surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy – and helped them come to terms with their illness. We have also been there for their families, friends and carers too.
With the advances in medicine over the past 22 years, we have developed a keen understanding of what patients go through and, although the need for our core service is still needed as much as ever, many cancer patients are now able to pick up the threads of their lives after their treatment, but find that the experience of having cancer has left them feeling fearful of the future or with a desire to change the way their lived before their illness.